At Arms Length
by John Quincy Adams
Summary: Seto Kaiba was quite comfortable being head of his Multinational corporation. But when that same corporation's past comes back to haunt him. Is he ready for it?


At Arms Length: Chapter One

This was what it meant to be rich and powerful. Sat in a carefully placed table, the sun shone brightly on an outdoor table. Situated outside a restaurant, surrounded by a low chain fence, which had little more use than to establish an intimidated blockade to anyone considered lower class, sat Seto Kaiba, carefully enjoying a cup of tea. His table shielded from the sun with a white and yellow sun umbrella. He sat watching the clouds drift by. He finished the last skraelings of his cup of tea, and stuck his hand in the air.

The waitress stood in the middle of out-door seating area, biting her nails, and watching the clouds go by. She was thinking about what she would be doing later, maybe she'd go and get a cup of coffee with her friends. Among the crowded outdoor area of the café, she could barely see who was holding their hand up. She drifted over gently, dressed in a white blouse and a long pair of yellow trousers. She put a rogue piece of her black hair behind her areas as she weaved through the net of tables. As she moved past another set, her heart sank. The man holding his hand up was Seto Kaiba. Sat there, comfortably in a dark blue suit, not a hair out of place, his delicately polished black shoes reflecting the sun as they poked out from the shadow of the umbrella.

She walked the final few steps to get to Kaiba, hopeful this order would be finished. She leant forward slightly, and picked up the empty tea cup left on the table, putting it on her tray. She then prepared to ask him what he wanted, running it through her head several times. But before she could, Kaiba turned towards her and coolly said.

"Don't you people wait for orders?"

"P-P-Pardon Sir?" She asked, panicking.

"If you had waited for orders, as is in your job description, you would know I would have liked to keep the tea pot where it was. Put it back. Now. If you would."

"Yes Sir, sorry Sir" she was sweating now. She put the tray down on the table, and took the tea-cup from it, putting it back where it was. She picked the tray up and stood attentively, looking down at Kaiba.

"Now, because you seem incapable of following instructions, I'll dictate them to you. Put the tray down. Take your pen and note pad out. Write down on the note pad, one pot of tea. Then, pick the tray up, and take the order back, and get me a pot of tea."

She started to walk away, thinking that she needn't bother writing it down. However, a few steps away, a cough came from behind her. She spun round slowly, holding onto some narrow hope that a tip was in store for her.

"Come here" said Kaiba, once again in a cool tone.

"Yes, Sir" she was sweating enormously now.

"Are you completely simple? Did I not tell you? Write it down. Now."

"But sir, it's not really necessary."

"I am your client. You do as I say. Do you understand me?"

"Yes...Seto." as she said this, she bit her lip, so hard she felt the blood run on to her teeth.

"I'm sorry? What did you just say?" He said, still maintaining his cool.

"No, no, I meant Sir, Sir, I'm sorry."

"Why did you call me that?"

"It was a mistake, I mean; it is your name isn't it?" She felt an electric shock run through her.

"Pardon?"

"I...err"

"Did you just answer me back? Do you think just because you know my name, it gives you the right to use it?" said Kaiba in a snide, condescending and contemptuous manner.

"I'm very sorry Sir; I don't know what came over me. Please allow me to go and fetch you, the pot of tea. It'll be on the house as well."

"Hm. Wait." He said as she tried to turn around.

"Huh?" she stood attentively again, her heels clicking on the floor.

"Put the tray on the table."

"Ok." She did so, wearily and steadily.

"Now, take out your note pad, and write in it, pot of tea."

She took out her note pad, her hands shaking the entire time. She wrote pot of tea, very slowly, and the writing was very jagged, and scribbled.

"Your handwriting is appalling." Said Kaiba "Rip out that page, and write it again."

"Umm...Ok Sir." She was sweating tempestuously now, her mouth was incredibly dry and she was putting all of her strength into stopping her hand from quivering. She slowly wrote it out again, it was slightly neater.

"Better, but that was too slow, write it out again. Faster this time, and if you can, improve the neatness a bit."

"Yes Sir." Her hand was starting to hurt from holding the pen so hard. She wrote it faster, and it looked slightly neater.

"That was still too slow, but you appear to have gotten a hang of neatness. Maybe you'll be a competent waitress by the end of this."

"But Sir..."

"Did you just answer me back?" said Kaiba, still in a cool manner. "Write it out. Again."

"Yes Sir" she said. She knew she was on the verge of crying, her mouth was getting dryer and dryer, and she had developed sweat patches on her blouse. She wrote it out again.

"Oh dear. You wrote it at an acceptable speed. But there was no neatness." She felt the tears come as she said this. She felt herself about to choke holding them back, and then she felt nothing. She opened her eyes; she saw the endless light of the white ceiling. Then, her boss leaned over her.

John Rollin saw the world in one way. How much money could be drained from it, he hired Marie because she was only sixteen. He could get away with paying her less. But when a big businessman pays you off to fire a cheap employee, and gives you an excuse so it's not unfair dismissal. Well, you don't say no.

"Are you ok Marie?" he asked, almost seeming compassionate.

"Yes, yes Sir. I umm, I'm sorry I fainted. It must be the heat, I'll get back to work immediately."

"Marie, I have something to tell you."

"Yes, Sir?"

"I'm going to have to let you go."

"What?"

"Yes, I'm really sorry. But that gentleman complained, and I have to follow complaints up seriously. He said you were rude, and disobedient."

"But, Mr. Rollin, he made me write out an order several times. He was being really petty!" she argued.

"Do you know who that is? That's Seto Kaiba. He is a very wealthy industrialist, when he comes in, acting eccentric. You do as he says."

"But, I need this job."

"And I need customers."

"This isn't fair."

"It isn't is it? You can finish this shift, and I'll pay you for the end of the week, but after that, you're gone, oh and for God's sake, take that man his tea."

She said no more. Only walked over to the machine, and poured the tea into a large metal pot. John had gone outside. She spat in the tea as much as she could, every drop of saliva she could muster, went into that tea pot. She walked outside, taking the teapot with her, the sun was blaring out, and she had to shield her eyes. She saw the light reflect off a black car that drove by, "I wish I could own a car." She thought. She took the tea over to Kaiba.

"Here is your tea sir."

"Why thank you, may I say the service here is exceptionally slow."

She grumbled, not bothering to say anything. After that she continued to work the rest of the shift, she served Kaiba a few more times, spitting in his pot of tea every time. She went through the usual cycles of customers. When the shift ended she went to see Mr. Rollin.

"Here's your pay. It's a shame to have to let you go. If you need a reference, call me."

"Thank you Mr. Rollin."

She was dressed in her normal clothes. She wore a black T-shirt with her favourite band on the front along with a pair of mini shorts, worn over some tights. She walked out of the café for the final time. She needed work, she needed it now. She planned the rest of her evening, she'd go home, look in the paper, and follow up, every part-time job she was qualified for. She took a normal detour down an ally, in between two rows of houses, large, white walls blocking off the alley from the backs of their gardens. Decorated in some feudal patterns, she stood and admired them. She did this a lot. "Maybe, when I could go study to be an architect, I have qualifications in art." She said to herself. She was enveloped in her own little world she didn't see the dark figure come up behind her.


End file.
